


Smile; Live A Little

by bitsori



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Dorms, Fluff, M/M, Roommates, Seunglix IS SO SOFT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 00:16:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16336109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitsori/pseuds/bitsori
Summary: Seungmin isn't sure what to think about his new roommate; Felix just thinks Seungmin should smile, and live a little. ( AU )





	Smile; Live A Little

**Author's Note:**

> [ 1 ] I was writing another [Always, More!verse](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1140032) fic, but halfway through I realised I needed a bit more of a break from it so I opened another document and this happened.
> 
> [ 2 ] For some reason, I also just really… wanted to write soft soft soft Seungmin/Felix so here you go! It wasn't meant to go over 3k, but whatever, it is what it is.

  
  


“I’ll be okay, mom,” Seungmin insists. “I’ll see you all for dinner later, _please._ I can handle myself for now. Noona. _Dad,_ ” he continues to press, desperate to be  on his own already, and not look like the baby this family insists he still is, but his attempts are all futile. They refuse to listen and instead continues to crowd him as they accompany him to his dorm.

Lucky for Seungmin, he isn’t the only freshman with overzealous parents - the corridors of Freedom Hall (more commonly known around campus, according to Seungmin’s university pamphlet, as Freshman Hall, where all the new blood were clustered together, roommates decided thru impartial lottery) were littered with them.

“I think this is the one,” his sister announces after she stops in front of a door. Seungmin double checks his welcome packet, and compares it to the number attached to the door: Room 239.

“It is,” he confirms, head hung low as he gives in. He knows he has no choice but to let his father drag his luggage in for him, so he focuses on fishing out his room key from his backpack instead. Just as he inserts the key into the slot, however, the door suddenly swings open and he’s met face to face with someone he assumes is his new roommate.

He’s smaller than Seungmin; his face is tiny - he’s quite baby faced, Seungmin observes, and the smattering of freckles that spread across his nose bridge is kind of fascinating.

“Oh, g’morning!” He greets them, wide-eyed like the obvious freshman that he is, but also all smiles, bright and genuine and looking eager to make new friends. The next thing Seungmin notices in that moment is his accent - it has a strange twang to it, and he knows immediately that just like him, this boy isn’t from around these parts. “You must be Seungmin?”

“Good morning,” he greets back, his own smile a tad uneasy. He tries to remember the name listed next to his, in his welcome packet, under the section detailing living arrangements. “Felix?”

The boy grins and nods, pulling the door wide open so he can let Seungmin, flanked by two parents and one older sister, enter their shared dorm room.

  
  


 

It isn’t until his family finally agrees to leave (a whole entire hour later, with his mother practically micromanaging every single detail and setup of Seungmin’s side of the room) so he could settle in, that he learns more about his roommate: Felix Lee, from Sydney, Australia, and surprisingly majoring in Marine Science.

“I like the water,” is his only response when Seungmin questions him about this choice.

He doesn’t have much to say or ask either when it’s Seungmin’s turn to introduce himself - from Seoul, majoring in Sociology because he figures it would be the most useful and ideal degree to take with him once he goes to law school.

“Law school?” Felix _does_ look to be in awe when Seungmin reveals his future plans; at first it makes Seungmin a tad skeptical, unsure if Felix is judging him for having such long term goals already planned out - he’s experienced that from some peers one too many times back home, after all. But then Felix shrugs and smiles as he wishes him luck, and Seungmin reminds himself that he should try not assume too many things at once about his new roommate.

  


 

Unfortunately, it becomes harder to hold judgment back when just a week into the semester, Felix comes home late at night, clearly wasted.

“Seungminnie!” His normally low voice cracks when he greets Seungmin at the door. His cheeks can only be described as ‘rosy,’ and Seungmin thinks it would make him look pretty, if not for the fact that it’s quite obviously an alcohol induced flush. Felix is accompanied by the other Korean student from down the hall - Jisung is how he’d introduced himself to Seungmin earlier that week, but all he’s heard everyone else call the guy, Felix included, is Peter.

“What happened?” Seungmin asks, his tone sharp; his question is directed at Jisung-slash-Peter as they both help Felix cross the threshold.

“He had a little too much to drink?” Jisung-also-known-as-Peter at least has the gall to look sheepish when he answers. “It’s rush week, so Greek row had a lot of parties to offer…”

Seungmin frowns, but even so, he allows Felix - even with the annoyingly drunk and silly grin that adorns his face - to lean against him. “I got him from here,” Seungmin sighs. “You can go now.” Peter - _Jisung,_ Seungmin thinks, deciding to stick to the name that's much easier for _him_ to remember - flashes him a grateful smile, and even though Seungmin is tempted to slam the door in his face, he manages enough patience to wait until Jisung disappears into his room down the hall.

“What am I going to do with you?” He grumbles, trying to do his best to help Felix get to his bed. Except, instead of answering, Felix is suddenly gagging, and Seungmin is only just about lucky to be able to grab the wastebasket that stood next to his desk, so he can shove it in front of Felix right before he upchucks all of his stomach’s contents.

“Geez,” he mumbles, rubbing soothing circles on Felix’s back while the latter he threw up in the bin. “We’re not even legal to drink yet.”

“18 is legal in Australia,” Felix retorts hoarsely. Seungmin can only shudder thinking how his throat feels, and how his tongue must taste like in that moment.

“Well I’m legal in Seoul too,” he shoots back. “But you don’t see me breaking the law while I’m here in California.”

“Aww, Seungminnie.” Felix nuzzles the side of his arm, and Seungmin automatically wrinkles his nose - his roommate smells of rank booze, cigarette smoke and an assortment of cheap perfume mixed with sweat, but the contrast of the sudden affection coming from him has Seungmin conflicted anyway. “Have fun and live a little, you know?” Felix continues, while wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “We’re young!”

  


 

“Maybe he’s right.” Seungmin can’t believe what he’s hearing. “Maybe you do need to live a little.” Hyunjin snickers, and through the video call, all Seungmin can do is send him a sharp glare.

“I’m going to pretend you did not just say that,” Seungmin snaps, frowns lines etched across his brow even as he stares at his tablet, and the face of his best friend, Hyunjin, from back home. “A week into the term and he’s already getting wasted—”

“Isn’t that a normal thing over there?” Hyunjin asks. He looks like he has more to comment, but his face is suddenly frozen on the screen - side effect of the oftentimes choppy Wi-Fi reception Seungmin gets in his dorm room. Just another thing to complain about, really, if he wasn’t already busy complaining about the state of his roommate’s partying habits.

“Hyunjin? Hyunjinnie—?” He calls, holding his tablet high up, and then all around, as if that will help his internet connection get any better.

“—minnie?” Hyunjin’s voice finally comes through, and his frozen face on screen suddenly doubles. For some reason, Hyunjin is now holding his phone way too close to his face, and it makes Seungmin laugh.

“It’s that time of day again,” Seungmin surmises. He guesses some other freshman down the hall is likely throttling the bandwidth by either pirating shit online, or maybe by playing bandwidth heavy MMORPGs. “I’ll message you, yeah?”

He’s just about done writing another paragraph on why and how Felix can be a better roommate when the door opens and _speak of the devil_ , he quickly types into messaging app. _He’s here so I’ll talk to you later._

He flips his tablet’s jacket close, and he looks over his shoulder just as Felix makes a beeline straight to him.

“Yo, roommate!” He leans against Seungmin’s desk, and Seungmin feels like he has no choice but to turn around in his swivel chair until they’re facing each other. “Thanks for the other night,” he adds, and his voice is dripping with such genuine sincerity that Seungmin’s annoyance melts a little.

“Well, if I let you throw up on the floor, that would have been a big problem for me,” he points out. He doesn’t mean to smile like it’s no big deal, but the earnest expression on Felix’s face must be a little contagious, because he finds the corners of his lips turning up anyway.

“Let me make up to you,” Felix tells him, and before Seungmin knows it, his roommate is swinging his chair around. “Everyone tells me I’m good at giving massages, and now you get a year-long, easy access pass to these magic hands.”

Seungmin is about to object, but then Felix’s hands are pressing on his shoulders, his thumbs applying pressure on the blades and _fuck_ , he thinks, _that feels really, really nice._

 

 

❦

 

 

It’s on one particular frustrating Friday, that Seungmin comes home from class and finds Peter-but-feel-free-to-call-me-Jisung leaning by their doorway, clearly waiting for Felix.

“What are you doing here?” Seungmin asks anyway; the pitch of his voice betrays his crappy mood, and this time, not even Felix’s cheery “Hey, mate!” as a greeting is able to work it’s instant magic on Seungmin.

“Picking Felix up for a boys’ night out!” Jisung answers readily, buzzing with excitement and quite obviously failing to read Seungmin properly.

“Have fun,” Seungmin deadpans, as he walks straight to his bed, and throws himself on it, face first.

Felix, who at least seems to be more attuned to Seungmin’s temper, hesitates at first, but eventually, he offers a cautious invitation. “Hey, you wanna come with us?” He sounds a bit apprehensive, and when Seungmin looks up from his position, he manages to catch Jisung looking startled at the sudden offer. “There’s a party at the Kappa Omega House, and Peter says they throw the best ragers.”

Seungmin’s eyes flit from Felix, to Jisung who shrugs in agreement - despite his earlier surprise, he doesn’t look like he actually _minds_ if Seungmin goes with them. He wonders how they keep getting invited to these parties when he knows that both of them have foregone rushing any fraternity, but his thoughts are interrupted by Jisung who’s suddenly trying to pull him out of bed.

“Come on,” he tells Seungmin. “You look like you could use a night of fun!” He’s acting like they’re friends just because he’s somehow become best buddies with Seungmin’s roommate over such a short period of time. It makes him want to tell Jisung off, but he catches Felix’s apologetic smile, and this time it works just fine in getting Seungmin to cave.

“Okay,” Seungmin finds himself saying. “I’ll go.”

“Awesome!” Jisung whoops, letting go of his hold on Seungmin so he can fist pump the air like getting Seungmin to agree to party with them is some kind of miraculous fit.

“Let me just change into something that isn’t completely stained with the stress of today.”

  


 

“Do you know that over 1.8 thousand college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die every year due to alcohol related reasons?” Seungmin spits statistics out as the three of them walk across campus together. “Vehicular accidents included.”

Jisung gives him a weird look. “Why are you telling us this? And we’re not even driving?” He appears confused, and he throws a quick, questioning glance at Felix, who just smiles and shrugs.

“Also, roughly 20% of all college students meet the criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder.”

“Did you specifically look these things up to make us feel… oh, I don’t know, even more fabulous about ourselves?!” Jisung’s eyes are wide and his tone goes up a notch higher to express sarcasm, but once again, Seungmin just shrugs, except this time there’s a small, self-satisfied smirk that’s visible on his lips.

“Just trying to keep everyone informed,” Seungmin drones on. “So, you know - don’t become a statistic.”

“Oh, I’m a statistic alright!” Jisung shoots back. “Did you know that nine out of ten students fall for these handsome looks?” He says, rubbing his chin and wiggling his eyebrows in a way that makes Seungmin cringe, and Felix crack up with laughter.

The party itself, surprisingly, isn’t all that bad. Granted, Seungmin does start out feeling a little out of place - Jisung immediately launches himself into the crowd, and despite himself, Seungmin has to admit that it’s kind of impressive, how easily the guy blends in with large groups of people at a time.

Felix actually stands by and sticks close to Seungmin at first. Enough people nod at him and give him casual greetings though, that Seungmin figures out that he's quite comfortable in this crowd and that he probably wants to go ahead _party and live a little,_ like he once told Seungmin. He kind of appreciates that Felix is being protective of him, or at least that Felix is being considerate of him, so eventually, after about a dozen people giving Felix quick nods (and even the occasional bro hug), Seungmin caves in and asks his roommate where they can get drinks.

  


 

Somehow, during the course of the night, Seungmin finds himself dragged into the middle of a game of beer pong.

“But? I don’t know how to play?!” He complains at first, when Felix declares him his game partner. Across the table from them is Jisung looking pretty bouncy (read: buzzed), as he swings his paddle around. His partner - some pretty boy upperclassman Seungmin doesn’t really recognize - has one arm possessively slung around Jisung, while he tries with his free hand to grab the paddle away.

“It’s easy,” Felix explains, gesturing at the red cups already being set up on the table by some of the party goers. “You just have to hit the ball and shoot it into their cups.”

“Whoever gets drunk first loses!” Jisung yells from the other side, earning him collective laughter.

“He’s sort of right,” Felix continues with a chuckle. “But you know how to play table tennis, right?”

Seungmin shrugs, and chooses not to reveal that perhaps he was even the champion of the schoolwide table tennis tournament his middle school held when he was in 7th grade. When Jisung’s pretty boy partner manages to score the first shot of the game, and Seungmin has to down the first cup of beer, he doesn’t blink.

Felix’s eyes widen when Seungmin practically drinks all twelve ounces of beer in one go, but no one realises that it’s that exact moment that flips Seungmin’s switch and triggers his competitive streak. Felix overall drinks three cups, and Seungmin has one more, but it doesn’t take much longer before Jisung is struggling through intermittent hiccups after having to drink through the rest of their beer cups consecutively until they’re all out.

“WHOA! WHOA THERE!!”  Felix is laughing and cheering, and suddenly he’s bumping chests with Seungmin, and they’re wrapping their arms around each other in a celebratory hug while the crowd yells and chants his name in a way that makes Seungmin’s ears ring with pride.

  


 

Felix and Jisung are both considerably more drunk than Seungmin is by the time they’re all walking back to their dormitory hall. The two of them have their arms slung around each other while they loudly sing what Seungmin thinks must be a trot rendition of that 99 bottles of beer song.

“You two are nuts,” he comments. “Druuuuunk.” But he’s laughing because he’s a little bit tipsy himself, and when Felix pulls him closer with his free arm, Seungmin doesn’t hesitate to wrap his own around Felix’s waist. It’s not long until he’s humming along the stupid song as well ( _41 bottles of beer on the wall, 41 bottles of beer! Take one down and pass it around!)_ , and by the time they separate with Jisung in front of their dorm room, they're down to just twenty bottles left in the song, and the happiness he’s feeling is spilling out of him through the big grin he’s wearing, and the tipsy giggling he can’t seem to stop himself from doing.

“I had fun tonight,” he finds himself admitting to Felix as he flops down on his bed; and he really did - he thinks it was a great way to end a really long, and otherwise shitty day because he can’t even remember what he was so upset about to begin with. “Thank you,” he mumbles, automatically shifting and rolling over when Felix suddenly drops down beside him.

Seungmin grunts when he finds himself face to face with a tired, but smiley Felix. “Can I sleep here tonight?” He asks, his words a little slurred, his body fidgeting as he tries to find a comfortable position. “My bed looks so cold.”

It takes Seungmin a few seconds to adjust to the sudden warmth that Felix offers before he allows himself to relax, even after the smaller male sleepily slides an arm around his torso. “I’d be heartless to kick you out,” he mumbles, and he can feel Felix’s smile against his neck when the latter burrows closer and snuggles against him.

 

 

❦

 

 

“I heard them talking about this prank they’re planning to pull on Jisung’s roommate,” Seungmin is explaining to Hyunjin the scene he’d walked in on the day before. “I don’t get Jisung sometimes - he’s so smart, like have I told you he’s majoring in Chemical Engineering _and_ that he’s got a full ride scholarship?! But he chooses to use his brain on really dumb shit like… _idiotic pranks._ And he keeps dragging Felix along with him to perform these harebrained schemes of his!”

“You’re extremely invested in what these two people do,” Hyunjin comments, amused. “It just makes it sound like you found yourself a new group of friends,” he adds. “I’m proud of you.”

“Huh?” Seungmin blinks, initially confused as to where and how Hyunjin picked that idea up amidst all his ranting. But in the end he just sighs, because Hyunjin isn’t exactly wrong either. What else is he supposed to call Felix and Jisung, when most of his free time over the last few weeks have been spent hanging out with the two of them. He has to admit it's been nothing but fun - like the one time the three of them spent over six hours at a karaoke room; Seungmin’s throat had been so hoarse from belting out DAY6 and Shawn Mendes songs, on top laughing maniacally at Felix and Jisung doing personal renditions of TWICE song and dance numbers. He also appreciates how they would occasionally accompany him to the library so they can all get some schoolwork done. (“Work hard, play hard,” Jisung comments once, causing Seungmin to playfully roll his eyes at him.)

So yeah, somehow, somewhere along the last few weeks, he’s started considering Felix, and even Jisung, his friends. “I guess,” he grudgingly admits with a sigh, but the way Hyunjin’s smile widens even more, makes it worth it. “Just wish they’d apply themselves more.”

“I thought you said Jisung was doing pretty well for himself, though?” Hyunjin points out. “Felix doesn't seem to be struggling either, so it sounds to me like they’re applying themselves just fine, and you need to loosen up some more.”

“Hey— I’ve been loosening up!” Seungmin argues defensively. He’s been to a few more parties with Jisung and Felix over the last few weeks, and while he still refuses to get piss poor drunk and completely shitfaced, he has to admit there’s a bit of enjoyment to be had in going to those things.

“I know,” Hyunjin laughs, and in that moment, even though life’s been pretty good for him, Seungmin really misses having his best friend by his side. “I’m just teasing you— but I’m also really proud of you for learning to have fun.”

“Hey!” Felix enters the room right then, cutting through the conversation Seungmin is having with Hyunjin. He’s just had a shower, so when he leans over Seungmin’s shoulder so he can wave and say hi to Hyunjin (and not for the first time, Seungmin finds himself wondering if he should be more weirded out at the fact that Felix and Hyunjin _and_ Jisung have all added each other on Facebook, because for some reason it feels just right instead), Seungmin easily catches a whiff of Felix’s scent - men’s soap, and Irish Spring deodorant which he can’t help but find appealing.

  


 

“Hey, Seungmin—” Felix is sprawled across his bed one evening, just quietly staring at the ceiling while Seungmin worked on a paper due later that week. Or he _was_ quiet anyway, until he calls for his roommate’s attention.

“Hm?” Seungmin adjusts the pair of glasses perched on the bridge of his nose before he turns to glance at the other male. “What is it?”

“You ever think about dating?”

Seungmin almost chokes on his saliva, “What?!”

“You know,” Felix shrugs, finally sitting up on his bed so he can look at Seungmin while they converse. “Dating. You ever think about it?”

“Why?” There’s a strange, nervous feeling pooling at the pit of Seungmin’s stomach; he’s cautious as he engages in the talk. “What do you mean?”

“Like, hmm,” Felix pauses, as if to consider his own words. “Is there someone you want to date?”

Seungmin blinks in confusion, not understanding why Felix is suddenly asking about this. “Um—” It should be easy to say _no, I’m focused on my studies right now_ because he wouldn’t even be lying. Finding someone during his freshman year was not - _is_ not - in Seungmin’s plans, so why is he suddenly hesitant to answer? “Uh, I guess if someone comes along I won’t be opposed to it?” He manages to eventually answer in a feeble tone.

“Hmm.” Felix goes quiet, like he’s processing Seungmin's answer, which is confusing because what is there to process? “So— follow up question, are you into girls or guys?”

This time Seungmin’s eyes grow so so wide, and his jaw comically drops. He stares at Felix, no ready answer on hand, but the latter isn't saying anything either. Felix sits there silently, looking at Seungmin like he's patiently waiting for an answer. If any other person had asked, Seungmin would have deemed it extremely intrusive - but this is _Felix,_ and somehow that makes it feel weirdly okay.

“Guys,” he admits, really really softly, that he's almost inaudible. It’s not like his sexuality is something he's struggling with - he might not be out to his family, but he's long ago reconciled the fact that he's only really attracted to guys.

Felix nods, and this time it’s understandable that he needs to process, but it doesn’t take him long, before he’s speaking, “Me too.”

“Oh.” Seungmin blinks. “ _Oh,”_ he repeats, and once again, Felix is flashing him that big, bright smile of his. “Is there someone you’re into to?” He asks, and for some reason he feels nervous. “Jisung?” The moment he offers the name, he feels his heart sink to his stomach - despite how much he enjoys snarking at Jisung, he knows he’s a good guy, and he and Felix get along so well that they’ll probably be a good match.

“Wait, what—?” Felix’s face contorts in surprise, and then he’s laughing. “No! Peter’s got something going on with this upperclassman from one of his math classes. Besides, we’d be an entire mess together.”

“Oh,” Seungmin chuckles, and just like that, he’s feeling ten times more relaxed than he was just seconds earlier. “Good, then.”

“Good?” Felix gives him a weird look.

“I mean— if you’re gonna be a mess together, it’s good that you’re not into him?” Seungmin offers, smiling sheepishly.

“Right,” Felix nods in agreement, but he’s smiling at Seungmin in a strange way that makes him feel warm all over.

 

 

❦

 

 

It’s a nice, breezy evening when they first kiss; Seungmin comes back to the dorm from his last final of the term, feeling light and happy, even though he isn't really that confident about that last exam he had.

Felix is there when he arrives, looking busy with his phone, but his entire face brightens completely when he looks up at Seungmin’s entrance. “Hey, mate, how’d it go?” Felix asks, jumping up to his feet so he can bounce over and give Seungmin an excited hug. It isn’t new because over the last few months he’s come to learn that his roommate thrives on skinship and physical affection, but right now Seungmin is finding that the close contact makes him feel some type of way; like his heart doubles in size while butterflies do flip flops in his stomach. None of it makes sense, so maybe that’s why what he does next seems logical when put beside everything else he’s feeling in that moment.

“It was okay,” he says first, as if to answer Felix’s initial question; and then he’s flashing a wide, happy grin and he’s leaning in, and then just like that, their lips are meeting. Felix’s lips are surprisingly really soft - and at the back of his mind, he’s thinking it really isn’t _that_ surprising, but then Felix begins to kiss him back and every other thought he’s having stops short right then and there.

“Ehem.” And then there’s a loud, throat clearing noise heard from the door, and Seungmin and Felix both jump apart in surprise. “I’d tell you guys to get a room, but—,” It’s Jisung, wearing a shit-eating grin as he teases them. “But I guess you already _got_ a room, huh?”

Felix bursts into loud, happy laughter and Seungmin feels his entire face warm up. “That’s right!” He yells at Jisung, grabbing the edge of the door as embarrassed laughter trickles out of his throat. “And you’re not welcome in it right now,” he adds, smiling curtly right before he shuts the door in Jisung’s face.

  
  
  


 

_fin._

**Author's Note:**

> [ 3 ] Sometimes I read the stuff I wrote like a week or a month later, and I spot a shit-ton of mistakes. I did two read throughs of this, but I'm sure I missed a lot of errors anyway, so my advanced apologies.
> 
> [ 4 ] Any and all feedback is appreciated, as usual. ♥
> 
> [ 5 ] [@rainsoundsmp3](http://twitter.com/rainsoundsmp3), bc skz is coming back!


End file.
